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Re: Curious

Michael, This board has had conversations on this subject many times over the past 7-8 years, and the conclusion that we have reached is that we just don t

Message 1 of 14
, Sep 13, 2007

Michael,

This board has had conversations on this subject many times over the past 7-8 years, and
the conclusion that we have reached is that we just don't know. He had a very public
personna, but he was in fact a very private person. His close friends were very protective
of his privacy and he lived in a time where sexual preferences were not openly talked
about.

He definately had girlfriends and was engaged to be married on at least three
occasions...and did get married once, which ended in divorce after only a few years.

He had male companions too, for lengths of time, which seem to be more intimate than
would be normal for a mere friendship. They too didn't last very long though.

So the feeling is that he was probably bi-sexual, but that he was not able to committ to
relationships for more than a year or two.

I have been researching Don personally for almost a decade now, and I have read
hundereds of letters to and from him; read hundreds of articles and dozens of interviews;
met and talked to people who knew him; and I can honestly say I have never seen any
evidence that would point one way or another as to his sexual orientation.

And the consensus amoung us is that it doesn't really matter one way or another anyway.
He is defined by his verse, his art, and his many creative pursuits...and not by his love life,
or lack thereof.

Keith Emmons

--- In aloha-donblanding@yahoogroups.com, "canoeist35" <canoeist35@...> wrote:
>
> I'm surprised to see that no one replied to my previous post
> (below). Is there really nothing known by the DB aficionados in
> this forum on such a fundamental aspect of his life? Or is this
> possibly another case of people not wanting to discuss the subject?
> That would seem the ultimate disrespect to DB, though, so I'm at a
> loss on the silence here. Not one person had a reply to make on
> this?
>
> Michael
>
>
>
> --- In aloha-donblanding@yahoogroups.com, "canoeist35"
> <canoeist35@> wrote:
> >
> > This forum was suggested to me when I raised this general question
> > during some discussions of Don Blanding's Vernonware designs on
> > another board. I am curious about what, if anything, is known
> about
> > his broken engagement with Ruth Norton, and his divorce from the
> > Binney woman (whose full name I forget right now). Reading
> through
> > the biographical material I've been able to find, including the
> > timeline with all its details--plus a dozen or so of the poems--I
> > did get occasional impressions of elements that were sometimes
> parts
> > of a closeted life. Is there anything definite known about Don
> > Blanding's intimate relationships? He wrote so eloquently of
> Hawaii
> > not merely for its beauty, but also for its value as a refuge from
> > the harsher world he had known. If someone were either homosexual
> > or sexually ambivalent, the change from Oklahoma, say, to the
> > tolerance and relaxed atmosphere he described in Hawaii would
> > certainly have seemed that much more like paradise. Are there any
> > known facts that would establish an answer to that issue quite
> > plainly, one way or the other? It would certainly seem like there
> > must be such facts on record somewhere. Yet the overall
> impression
> > I've received (to date) is one of pure mystery.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>

mauibandb@aol.com

Thanks Keith well said aloha Maui Tom ************************************** See what s new at http://www.aol.com [Non-text portions of this message have been

Dear Keith ~ That was quite the most beautiful description of DB that I have read of late. You describe his being an artist with all the sincerity of an

Message 3 of 14
, Sep 13, 2007

Dear Keith ~
That was quite the most beautiful description of DB that I have
read of late. You describe his being an artist with all the sincerity of
an open-minded and loyal follower of his work and his soul.

This board has had conversations on this subject many times over the past 7-8 years, and
the conclusion that we have reached is that we just don't know. He had a very public
personna, but he was in fact a very private person. His close friends were very protective
of his privacy and he lived in a time where sexual preferences were not openly talked
about.

He definately had girlfriends and was engaged to be married on at least three
occasions...and did get married once, which ended in divorce after only a few years.

He had male companions too, for lengths of time, which seem to be more intimate than
would be normal for a mere friendship. They too didn't last very long though.

So the feeling is that he was probably bi-sexual, but that he was not able to committ to
relationships for more than a year or two.

I have been researching Don personally for almost a decade now, and I have read
hundereds of letters to and from him; read hundreds of articles and dozens of interviews;
met and talked to people who knew him; and I can honestly say I have never seen any
evidence that would point one way or another as to his sexual orientation.

And the consensus amoung us is that it doesn't really matter one way or another anyway.
He is defined by his verse, his art, and his many creative pursuits...and not by his love life,
or lack thereof.

Keith Emmons

--- In aloha-donblanding@yahoogroups.com, "canoeist35" <canoeist35@...> wrote:
>
> I'm surprised to see that no one replied to my previous post
> (below). Is there really nothing known by the DB aficionados in
> this forum on such a fundamental aspect of his life? Or is this
> possibly another case of people not wanting to discuss the subject?
> That would seem the ultimate disrespect to DB, though, so I'm at a
> loss on the silence here. Not one person had a reply to make on
> this?
>
> Michael
>
>
>
> --- In aloha-donblanding@yahoogroups.com, "canoeist35"
> <canoeist35@> wrote:
> >
> > This forum was suggested to me when I raised this general question
> > during some discussions of Don Blanding's Vernonware designs on
> > another board. I am curious about what, if anything, is known
> about
> > his broken engagement with Ruth Norton, and his divorce from the
> > Binney woman (whose full name I forget right now). Reading
> through
> > the biographical material I've been able to find, including the
> > timeline with all its details--plus a dozen or so of the poems--I
> > did get occasional impressions of elements that were sometimes
> parts
> > of a closeted life. Is there anything definite known about Don
> > Blanding's intimate relationships? He wrote so eloquently of
> Hawaii
> > not merely for its beauty, but also for its value as a refuge from
> > the harsher world he had known. If someone were either homosexual
> > or sexually ambivalent, the change from Oklahoma, say, to the
> > tolerance and relaxed atmosphere he described in Hawaii would
> > certainly have seemed that much more like paradise. Are there any
> > known facts that would establish an answer to that issue quite
> > plainly, one way or the other? It would certainly seem like there
> > must be such facts on record somewhere. Yet the overall
> impression
> > I've received (to date) is one of pure mystery.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Linda Allred

I, personally, don t see that it matters and wouldn t want to spend the time trying to figure it out. What he s given to the world says enough as to what kind

Message 4 of 14
, Sep 13, 2007

I, personally, don't see that it matters and wouldn't want to spend the time trying to figure it out. What he's given to the world says enough as to what kind of man he was. Linda

This board has had conversations on this subject many times over the past 7-8 years, and
the conclusion that we have reached is that we just don't know. He had a very public
personna, but he was in fact a very private person. His close friends were very protective
of his privacy and he lived in a time where sexual preferences were not openly talked
about.

He definately had girlfriends and was engaged to be married on at least three
occasions... and did get married once, which ended in divorce after only a few years.

He had male companions too, for lengths of time, which seem to be more intimate than
would be normal for a mere friendship. They too didn't last very long though.

So the feeling is that he was probably bi-sexual, but that he was not able to committ to
relationships for more than a year or two.

I have been researching Don personally for almost a decade now, and I have read
hundereds of letters to and from him; read hundreds of articles and dozens of interviews;
met and talked to people who knew him; and I can honestly say I have never seen any
evidence that would point one way or another as to his sexual orientation.

And the consensus amoung us is that it doesn't really matter one way or another anyway.
He is defined by his verse, his art, and his many creative pursuits...and not by his love life,
or lack thereof.

Keith Emmons

--- In aloha-donblanding@ yahoogroups. com, "canoeist35" <canoeist35@ ...> wrote:
>
> I'm surprised to see that no one replied to my previous post
> (below). Is there really nothing known by the DB aficionados in
> this forum on such a fundamental aspect of his life? Or is this
> possibly another case of people not wanting to discuss the subject?
> That would seem the ultimate disrespect to DB, though, so I'm at a
> loss on the silence here. Not one person had a reply to make on
> this?
>
> Michael
>
>
>
> --- In aloha-donblanding@ yahoogroups. com, "canoeist35"
> <canoeist35@ > wrote:
> >
> > This forum was suggested to me when I raised this general question
> > during some discussions of Don Blanding's Vernonware designs on
> > another board. I am curious about what, if anything, is known
> about
> > his broken engagement with Ruth Norton, and his divorce from the
> > Binney woman (whose full name I forget right now). Reading
> through
> > the biographical material I've been able to find, including the
> > timeline with all its details--plus a dozen or so of the poems--I
> > did get occasional impressions of elements that were sometimes
> parts
> > of a closeted life. Is there anything definite known about Don
> > Blanding's intimate relationships? He wrote so eloquently of
> Hawaii
> > not merely for its beauty, but also for its value as a refuge from
> > the harsher world he had known. If someone were either homosexual
> > or sexually ambivalent, the change from Oklahoma, say, to the
> > tolerance and relaxed atmosphere he described in Hawaii would
> > certainly have seemed that much more like paradise. Are there any
> > known facts that would establish an answer to that issue quite
> > plainly, one way or the other? It would certainly seem like there
> > must be such facts on record somewhere. Yet the overall
> impression
> > I've received (to date) is one of pure mystery.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Mike Gothard

Hi all, This has been a most intriguing dialogue, though seemingly one-sided until now. It s interesting that we discuss the minutest of minutia regarding Don

Message 5 of 14
, Sep 14, 2007

Hi all,

This has been a most intriguing dialogue, though seemingly one-sided until
now. It's interesting that we discuss the minutest of minutia regarding
Don - his life, his art, his habits, his history - and then we feign
disinterest in this one area of his life as though a discussion would in
some way tarnish his image. We spend time trying to figure out what he ate
for breakfast on a trip to California on a specific day of the year; seems
something as pervasive as his sexual orientation would not just be as
important but even more so given the fact that it shaped him far more than
whether he ate bran or blueberry muffins on Thursday, April 3, 1924. I
agree that in the big scheme of things it really doesn't matter. But
neither does so much else of what we speculate and research about his life.
We all respect his work or we probably wouldn't ponder, diagogue, and lurk
here searching for answers and points of interest if we were apt to pass
judgment.

With that said, thanks, Michael, for continuing to probe with academic
integrity. And thanks, Keith, for shedding light on this and so many other
facets of Mr. Blanding's life.

> I, personally, don't see that it matters and wouldn't want to spend the
> time trying to figure it out. What he's given to the world says enough as
> to what kind of man he was. Linda
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: keith2draw <keith2draw@...>
> To: aloha-donblanding@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 10:41:53 PM
> Subject: [aloha-donblanding] Re: Curious
>
> Michael,
>
> This board has had conversations on this subject many times over the past
> 7-8 years, and
> the conclusion that we have reached is that we just don't know. He had a
> very public
> personna, but he was in fact a very private person. His close friends were
> very protective
> of his privacy and he lived in a time where sexual preferences were not
> openly talked
> about.
>
> He definately had girlfriends and was engaged to be married on at least
> three
> occasions... and did get married once, which ended in divorce after only a
> few years.
>
> He had male companions too, for lengths of time, which seem to be more
> intimate than
> would be normal for a mere friendship. They too didn't last very long
> though.
>
> So the feeling is that he was probably bi-sexual, but that he was not able
> to committ to
> relationships for more than a year or two.
>
> I have been researching Don personally for almost a decade now, and I have
> read
> hundereds of letters to and from him; read hundreds of articles and dozens
> of interviews;
> met and talked to people who knew him; and I can honestly say I have never
> seen any
> evidence that would point one way or another as to his sexual orientation.
>
> And the consensus amoung us is that it doesn't really matter one way or
> another anyway.
> He is defined by his verse, his art, and his many creative pursuits...and
> not by his love life,
> or lack thereof.
>
> Keith Emmons
>
> --- In aloha-donblanding@ yahoogroups. com, "canoeist35" <canoeist35@ ...>
> wrote:
>>
>> I'm surprised to see that no one replied to my previous post
>> (below). Is there really nothing known by the DB aficionados in
>> this forum on such a fundamental aspect of his life? Or is this
>> possibly another case of people not wanting to discuss the subject?
>> That would seem the ultimate disrespect to DB, though, so I'm at a
>> loss on the silence here. Not one person had a reply to make on
>> this?
>>
>> Michael
>>
>>
>>
>> --- In aloha-donblanding@ yahoogroups. com, "canoeist35"
>> <canoeist35@ > wrote:
>> >
>> > This forum was suggested to me when I raised this general question
>> > during some discussions of Don Blanding's Vernonware designs on
>> > another board. I am curious about what, if anything, is known
>> about
>> > his broken engagement with Ruth Norton, and his divorce from the
>> > Binney woman (whose full name I forget right now). Reading
>> through
>> > the biographical material I've been able to find, including the
>> > timeline with all its details--plus a dozen or so of the poems--I
>> > did get occasional impressions of elements that were sometimes
>> parts
>> > of a closeted life. Is there anything definite known about Don
>> > Blanding's intimate relationships? He wrote so eloquently of
>> Hawaii
>> > not merely for its beauty, but also for its value as a refuge from
>> > the harsher world he had known. If someone were either homosexual
>> > or sexually ambivalent, the change from Oklahoma, say, to the
>> > tolerance and relaxed atmosphere he described in Hawaii would
>> > certainly have seemed that much more like paradise. Are there any
>> > known facts that would establish an answer to that issue quite
>> > plainly, one way or the other? It would certainly seem like there
>> > must be such facts on record somewhere. Yet the overall
>> impression
>> > I've received (to date) is one of pure mystery.
>> >
>> > Michael
>> >
>>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> To Post a message, send it to: aloha-donblanding@yahoogroups.com
>
> To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:
> aloha-donblanding-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

This board has had conversations on this subject many times over the past
7-8 years, and
the conclusion that we have reached is that we just don't know. He had a
very public
personna, but he was in fact a very private person. His close friends were
very protective
of his privacy and he lived in a time where sexual preferences were not
openly talked
about.

He definately had girlfriends and was engaged to be married on at least
three
occasions...and did get married once, which ended in divorce after only a
few years.

He had male companions too, for lengths of time, which seem to be more
intimate than
would be normal for a mere friendship. They too didn't last very long
though.

So the feeling is that he was probably bi-sexual, but that he was not able
to committ to
relationships for more than a year or two.

I have been researching Don personally for almost a decade now, and I have
read
hundereds of letters to and from him; read hundreds of articles and dozens
of interviews;
met and talked to people who knew him; and I can honestly say I have never
seen any
evidence that would point one way or another as to his sexual orientation.

And the consensus amoung us is that it doesn't really matter one way or
another anyway.
He is defined by his verse, his art, and his many creative pursuits...and
not by his love life,
or lack thereof.

>
> I'm surprised to see that no one replied to my previous post
> (below). Is there really nothing known by the DB aficionados in
> this forum on such a fundamental aspect of his life? Or is this
> possibly another case of people not wanting to discuss the subject?
> That would seem the ultimate disrespect to DB, though, so I'm at a
> loss on the silence here. Not one person had a reply to make on
> this?
>
> Michael
>
>
>
> --- In aloha-donblanding@ <mailto:aloha-donblanding%40yahoogroups.com>

yahoogroups.com, "canoeist35"

> <canoeist35@> wrote:
> >
> > This forum was suggested to me when I raised this general question
> > during some discussions of Don Blanding's Vernonware designs on
> > another board. I am curious about what, if anything, is known
> about
> > his broken engagement with Ruth Norton, and his divorce from the
> > Binney woman (whose full name I forget right now). Reading
> through
> > the biographical material I've been able to find, including the
> > timeline with all its details--plus a dozen or so of the poems--I
> > did get occasional impressions of elements that were sometimes
> parts
> > of a closeted life. Is there anything definite known about Don
> > Blanding's intimate relationships? He wrote so eloquently of
> Hawaii
> > not merely for its beauty, but also for its value as a refuge from
> > the harsher world he had known. If someone were either homosexual
> > or sexually ambivalent, the change from Oklahoma, say, to the
> > tolerance and relaxed atmosphere he described in Hawaii would
> > certainly have seemed that much more like paradise. Are there any
> > known facts that would establish an answer to that issue quite
> > plainly, one way or the other? It would certainly seem like there
> > must be such facts on record somewhere. Yet the overall
> impression
> > I've received (to date) is one of pure mystery.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

keith2draw

Aloha Mike & Michael, You ve made good points, and they are all well taken. There are about 4-5 Blanding researchers who frequent this board, and we are all

Message 7 of 14
, Sep 14, 2007

Aloha Mike & Michael,

You've made good points, and they are all well taken.

There are about 4-5 Blanding researchers who frequent this board, and we are all busy
piecing together his life from obscure newspaper accounts, magazine articles, long lost
interviews and ebay ephemera. Blanding was after all born 114 years ago and has been
gone for half a century. We do not have the luxury of having previously written and
researched volumes of details on his life, such as you would already have for say someone
like Thomas Edison, Edgar Allen Poe or Gertrude Stein (because, frankly, he wasn't as
important as these folks). The people who knew Don well are now dead themselves. There
are some old-timers that knew him in his later years...but obviously no-one alive who
shared his early, developmental years.

To us, the thrill of the hunt is as enjoyable as the actual body of work that Don left behind.
So when one of us discovers a new clue (however small), and posts it on this board, it's the
detective in us gloating about finding a long-lost detail of his life. We in no way mean to
infer any importance to the clues (in the grand scheme of things) ...it's just fun to see little
slices of his life from a distance through the binoculars of time [sorry, horrible cliche].

Those of us who have been on this board from the beginning (Jan. 2000) have discussed
many complex aspects of Don's life in-depth (such as his sexuality) ...but folks who have
joined us in the last year or two will only see the lighter dialogue and assume everything is
trivial on the board. I urge all newcomers to go back and read some of our older posts for
more detailed talks that have already transpired.

The bottom line is that to try and get to the "meat" of Don's life, his feelings, dreams,
inclinations and quirks, we have to sort out all the finer details like where he lived, who he
knew, and who he wrote to. That's all we have to go on for the moment. And if discovering
that he had a bran muffin with Edgar Cayce on Thursday, April 3, 1924 leads to finding an
entry in Edgar Cayce's diary that states Don made a sexual pass at him...well then there we
have our proof!

I think most of us are mature, open-minded adults and I for one feel that if Don was
gay..."so what!" It wouldn't tarnish his image at all...it would just add to the interest. Most
of us have expressed that opinion here. It's not disinterest that keeps us from discussing it
(and as I said, we have talked about it in the past ad naseum) it's just that until we know
for sure, one way or the other, it would just be conjecture. If he was gay, it would have had
a huge impact on how he lived his life, who he trusted, how he separated his public
personna of a big, strapping ladies-man poet who was respected by men as well, from his
private, gentle, secluded life when not on the lecture circuit. But until we get the "smoking
gun" letter or diary entry which reveals his sexual preference....we plug away on the
research and try to build a profile of Don that is honest, sincere and revealing. It just takes
time. Most of us have either 9-to-5 jobs, kids, grandkids, etc... which takes up the bulk of
our time, and research has to wait for rare free time.

I will say, this is the best dialogue we've had in a long time.

Keith

Mike Gothard

Hi Keith, Exactly! Thanks for the perspective. You re so right in that many of us have not been in on the discussions from years ago, even though we avail

Message 8 of 14
, Sep 14, 2007

Hi Keith,

Exactly! Thanks for the perspective. You're so right in that many of us
have not been in on the discussions from years ago, even though we avail
ourselves of the past posts. I dabble in restoring/collecting/using vintage
fountain pens and feel the same frustration that I'm sure many of you
experience when us "newbies" question or try to put two-and-two together for
the first time. We forget the "cloud of witnesses" that have gone before us
:)

Actually, one of the reasons I lurk here (yes, I'm afraid I am a lurker as I
fit squarely into your description of already having too many irons in too
many fires) is because of the minutia and the passion with which you guys
continue to search...it's facinating! I do the same in the world of
fountain pens as well.

Anyway, thanks, Keith, for your gracious response and thanks to all for
allowing us dabblers to dabble here. This is a great group and I consider
it a privilege to be part of the ongoing dialogue.

> Aloha Mike & Michael,
>
> You've made good points, and they are all well taken.
>
> There are about 4-5 Blanding researchers who frequent this board, and we
> are all busy
> piecing together his life from obscure newspaper accounts, magazine
> articles, long lost
> interviews and ebay ephemera. Blanding was after all born 114 years ago
> and has been
> gone for half a century. We do not have the luxury of having previously
> written and
> researched volumes of details on his life, such as you would already have
> for say someone
> like Thomas Edison, Edgar Allen Poe or Gertrude Stein (because, frankly,
> he wasn't as
> important as these folks). The people who knew Don well are now dead
> themselves. There
> are some old-timers that knew him in his later years...but obviously
> no-one alive who
> shared his early, developmental years.
>
> To us, the thrill of the hunt is as enjoyable as the actual body of work
> that Don left behind.
> So when one of us discovers a new clue (however small), and posts it on
> this board, it's the
> detective in us gloating about finding a long-lost detail of his life. We
> in no way mean to
> infer any importance to the clues (in the grand scheme of things) ...it's
> just fun to see little
> slices of his life from a distance through the binoculars of time [sorry,
> horrible cliche].
>
> Those of us who have been on this board from the beginning (Jan. 2000)
> have discussed
> many complex aspects of Don's life in-depth (such as his sexuality) ...but
> folks who have
> joined us in the last year or two will only see the lighter dialogue and
> assume everything is
> trivial on the board. I urge all newcomers to go back and read some of our
> older posts for
> more detailed talks that have already transpired.
>
> The bottom line is that to try and get to the "meat" of Don's life, his
> feelings, dreams,
> inclinations and quirks, we have to sort out all the finer details like
> where he lived, who he
> knew, and who he wrote to. That's all we have to go on for the moment. And
> if discovering
> that he had a bran muffin with Edgar Cayce on Thursday, April 3, 1924
> leads to finding an
> entry in Edgar Cayce's diary that states Don made a sexual pass at
> him...well then there we
> have our proof!
>
> I think most of us are mature, open-minded adults and I for one feel that
> if Don was
> gay..."so what!" It wouldn't tarnish his image at all...it would just add
> to the interest. Most
> of us have expressed that opinion here. It's not disinterest that keeps us
> from discussing it
> (and as I said, we have talked about it in the past ad naseum) it's just
> that until we know
> for sure, one way or the other, it would just be conjecture. If he was
> gay, it would have had
> a huge impact on how he lived his life, who he trusted, how he separated
> his public
> personna of a big, strapping ladies-man poet who was respected by men as
> well, from his
> private, gentle, secluded life when not on the lecture circuit. But until
> we get the "smoking
> gun" letter or diary entry which reveals his sexual preference....we plug
> away on the
> research and try to build a profile of Don that is honest, sincere and
> revealing. It just takes
> time. Most of us have either 9-to-5 jobs, kids, grandkids, etc... which
> takes up the bulk of
> our time, and research has to wait for rare free time.
>
> I will say, this is the best dialogue we've had in a long time.
>
> Keith
>
>
>
>
> To Post a message, send it to: aloha-donblanding@yahoogroups.com
>
> To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:
> aloha-donblanding-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

canoeist35

Keith, I appreciated your first reply and this additional post. I had read the timeline on your website line-by-line before I ever asked any questions about

Message 9 of 14
, Sep 14, 2007

Keith, I appreciated your first reply and this additional post. I
had read the timeline on your website line-by-line before I ever
asked any questions about Don. Parts of the timeline seemed to fit
the classic "closeted" life--unfortunately for DB. So did some
aspects of the poems I read, plus some of the photos--just in my
opinion, of course. I am a little dubious about even the bi-sexual
aspect, personally, but I am a newbie on all this. I don't think
any of this diminishes or demeans Don Blanding in any way--if
anything, it only adds to the complexity and interest his life
presents, IMO. It may affect how some of the poetry needs to be
read, though. If I can venture one more thought, it seems worth
recollecting that he began as an ad man who knew how to craft an
image. Maybe he continued to feel he had to do that with some of
his poetry? In any event, his tenderness, humor, and decency come
pouring out of most of the poems and articles I have read. And,
later, his sadness, too. I get the impression DB's was far from a
simple story. My two cents here.

Exactly. Well said, Mike. Gaining knowledge of more of the facts of
his life is not to judge Don Blanding in some negative way. It is to
understand better. I don't think there is anything to fear from
knowing the truth--at least not in the case of DB! And I'm going to
do one of those no-no's, and maintain that Don Blanding would agree
with that sentiment. I appreciated reading your post.

Michael

THOMAS MARKLE

Boy did I miss a lot of discussion.....I have 20 minutes on this computer, so......I liked Keith s response and others as well. Don s sexual persuasion is not

Message 11 of 14
, Sep 14, 2007

Boy did I miss a lot of discussion.....I have 20 minutes on this computer, so......I liked Keith's response and others as well. Don's sexual persuasion is not the important piece we are researching. It is there and known but so what. I've interviewed several people in their 80's who said, "Oh, Don Blanding that gay boy from Waikiki, he was so well liked by everyone that no one cares what he is". That's a pretty accurate quote. He was a personality, wordsmith, artist and mooch. He was loved most anywhere he went. As researchers we uncover little bits of information that sometimes lead to other finds that lead to newer finds, so on and so forth. That's research. I met an antique dealer on Kauai that had some DB pottery and we got to talking and now she's interested in our site. She didn't know we were researching him and was really excited about it. What Cadia and the rest of us have done in 7 years is amazing as far as I'm concerned. Aloha to all...tj

There are about 4-5 Blanding researchers who frequent this board, and we are all busy
piecing together his life from obscure newspaper accounts, magazine articles, long lost
interviews and ebay ephemera. Blanding was after all born 114 years ago and has been
gone for half a century. We do not have the luxury of having previously written and
researched volumes of details on his life, such as you would already have for say someone
like Thomas Edison, Edgar Allen Poe or Gertrude Stein (because, frankly, he wasn't as
important as these folks). The people who knew Don well are now dead themselves. There
are some old-timers that knew him in his later years...but obviously no-one alive who
shared his early, developmental years.

To us, the thrill of the hunt is as enjoyable as the actual body of work that Don left behind.
So when one of us discovers a new clue (however small), and posts it on this board, it's the
detective in us gloating about finding a long-lost detail of his life. We in no way mean to
infer any importance to the clues (in the grand scheme of things) ...it's just fun to see little
slices of his life from a distance through the binoculars of time [sorry, horrible cliche].

Those of us who have been on this board from the beginning (Jan. 2000) have discussed
many complex aspects of Don's life in-depth (such as his sexuality) ...but folks who have
joined us in the last year or two will only see the lighter dialogue and assume everything is
trivial on the board. I urge all newcomers to go back and read some of our older posts for
more detailed talks that have already transpired.

The bottom line is that to try and get to the "meat" of Don's life, his feelings, dreams,
inclinations and quirks, we have to sort out all the finer details like where he lived, who he
knew, and who he wrote to. That's all we have to go on for the moment. And if discovering
that he had a bran muffin with Edgar Cayce on Thursday, April 3, 1924 leads to finding an
entry in Edgar Cayce's diary that states Don made a sexual pass at him...well then there we
have our proof!

I think most of us are mature, open-minded adults and I for one feel that if Don was
gay..."so what!" It wouldn't tarnish his image at all...it would just add to the interest. Most
of us have expressed that opinion here. It's not disinterest that keeps us from discussing it
(and as I said, we have talked about it in the past ad naseum) it's just that until we know
for sure, one way or the other, it would just be conjecture. If he was gay, it would have had
a huge impact on how he lived his life, who he trusted, how he separated his public
personna of a big, strapping ladies-man poet who was respected by men as well, from his
private, gentle, secluded life when not on the lecture circuit. But until we get the "smoking
gun" letter or diary entry which reveals his sexual preference....we plug away on the
research and try to build a profile of Don that is honest, sincere and revealing. It just takes
time. Most of us have either 9-to-5 jobs, kids, grandkids, etc... which takes up the bulk of
our time, and research has to wait for rare free time.

I will say, this is the best dialogue we've had in a long time.

Keith

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

kathysip3

... and we are all busy ... articles, long lost ... ago and has been ... previously written and ... have for say someone ... frankly, he wasn t as ...

> our time, and research has to wait for rare free time.
>
> I will say, this is the best dialogue we've had in a long time.
>
> Keith
>
> I have to agree with everyone else, great dialogue, by far the most
>interesting of discussions I have read in along time. Thanks to all.
> I still love his work, be he a, a, or whatever.....

> Kathy

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